BRADENTON, Fla. -- His life in golf has seen him hailed as a hero in Great Britain for winning two major championships, a grieving widower in the midst of a game-changing run as Ryder Cup captain, the subject of tabloid fodder, a competitor again as a senior golfer and now an elder statesman who has settled into a quiet community on the west coast of Florida.Tony Jacklin, 72, lives off the 14th fairway at Bradenton Golf Club, where his golf is sporadic these days although the charging electric golf cart in his garage says hes never too far away from the game that made him famous.Near the golf clubs is a makeshift studio where Jacklin has taken to a hobby he very much enjoys, one that sees him painstakingly trace images of subjects he draws, most from the world of golf. Included in his collection, for example, is a picture of Davis Love III and Darren Clarke, the captains of the respective Ryder Cup teams this week at Hazeltine National in Minnesota -- where, incidentally, Jacklin won the 1970 U.S. Open.Such artwork takes planning and precision, not to mention tinkering and time. Not that such qualities suddenly came to Jacklin later in life. They served him well all those years ago when he helped change the Ryder Cup from a sleepy affair dominated by the United States, barely a blip on golfs radar, to one of the biggest events in sports.Since Jacklins first captaincy in 1983, Europe has gone 10-5-1, turning what had been an annual American romp into a fierce competition that often comes down to the final day, the final match, the final hole. Jacklin led Europe on four occasions, going 2-1-1, winning for the first time in 28 years, winning for the first time on American soil, and forging a tie in his last attempt -- which meant Europe kept the Cup and Jacklin again walked away triumphant.It has been an amazing run that continues now as Europe seeks a fourth straight victory in the competition, something that would not have been fathomable in Jacklins time as a player.Theres a coming together when it comes to the Ryder Cup, Jacklin said recently at his Florida home. Its extraordinary the team unity that gets created. I suppose the irony is they all strive to play in America and get on the American (PGA) Tour where everything is so great, where you have this standard of excellence across the board.Its everyones target to play where the best are, and America it is. Its that excellence in some ways that spurred me and someone like Seve [Ballesteros]. We had been poor, and the singular thing that runs through you is just because theyve got everything, it doesnt mean to say they are the best.Given the proper and level playing field, it doesnt matter where youre from. America doesnt have a stranglehold on ambition.With all that in mind, it is not a stretch to say that Tony Jacklin saved the Ryder Cup.Great Britains golf heroJacklin was born in the English town of Scunthorpe and one of the lasting memories of his youth was attending the 1957 Ryder Cup at Lindrick Golf Club, where the Great Britain & Ireland team defeated the United States, 7? to 4?, the first U.S. defeat since 1933.Getting to see the great golfers of the day in an era of no televised golf was a big deal to Jacklin, who five years later at age 18 turned professional and set about his own golf journey.For a time, that meant working in the pro shop, and one of Jacklins first jobs was at Potters Bar Golf Club near London. It is where he met a man named Marshall Bellow who would become a lifetime friend and happened to be Jacklins host when he was first offered the Ryder Cup captaincy nearly two decades later.I went into the pro shop when I first became a member and I had a conversation with this lad, Bellow, now 81, recalled. It was Tony Jacklin; that is how I first met him. He was a kid in the shop, a lot of personality, full of himself. There was something special about him. You couldnt help but like him. No one ever taught him how to make a speech or to be a leader. He just had it in him. He did it all by himself.Jacklin would become the rare foreign golfer to play events on what is now known as the PGA Tour. Not since the 1940s had British golfers come to America with the purpose of making it here, but Jacklin wanted to play against the best. It is how he became friendly with the likes of Jack Nicklaus and other American stars. He felt welcomed by them.Playing full time in America, Jacklin won twice at PGA Tour stops in Jacksonville, Florida, and the 1970 U.S. Open at Hazeltine National -- the only victory by a European player at the tournament between 1929 and 2009. He also won the 1969 Open at Royal Lytham & St. Annes -- where he became the first British player to win the tournament in 18 years. He was awarded the Order of the British Empire (O.B.E) by Queen Elizabeth II in 1970. (And the C.B.E., Commander of the British Empire, in 1990.)Jacklin won 27 times as a professional, including eight times on the European Tour, which wasnt formed until 1972. Along the way, he played in 48 major championships, posting 17 top-25 finishes. And he played the Ryder Cup seven times, never on a winning team but still posting a very respectable individual record of 13-14-8 from 1967 through 1979.His major titles made him a revered figure at home and he enjoyed the spoils of success, building a mansion in the Cotswolds and driving a Rolls-Royce. Super agent Mark McCormack of International Management Group provided plenty of opportunities off the course, and Great Britain latched onto its latest sports icon.He was a hero in those days, Bellow said. He was a very fine young man, just special. There was just something about him. He was a celebrity who went from being ordinary to being The Open champion in a country craving and desperate for an Open champion. All of a sudden his life changed and at times it was hard to cope with.He was an enthusiastic golfer who had a great week and now his face is all over the world. Hes playing in America. Hes buying houses. Its a classic story of a local bloke who comes from nowhere.At his second Ryder Cup as a player, Jacklin went 4-0-2 in 1969, when the match ended in a 16-16 tie. Two of those four victories were against Nicklaus, including the first Sunday singles encounter that preceded the famous Concession. It was the first time Jacklins side had not lost since 1957.Facing a 2-footer for par on the 18th green -- after Nicklaus had made a par putt from 4? feet -- to tie both their match and the Ryder Cup, Jacklin saw Nicklaus reach over, pick up the coin that was marking the British golfers ball, and concede the putt. The gesture meant the Nicklaus-Jacklin match was tied, as was the overall Ryder Cup match, meaning the United States retained the Cup.God only knows what he must have been thinking, Jacklin said. All of a sudden, hes got a 4?-footer to make (after running a birdie putt past the hole), and if he misses, his team loses the match. And then, in a split second he holes the putt and hes picking his ball out of the hole, and he picks my marker up at the same time. So hes run it all through his mind. He must have. But it was a spontaneous gesture.Nicklaus knew what a revered figure Jacklin was in his homeland (the event was played at Royal Birkdale in England) and said he expected Jacklin would make the putt -- but didnt want to take the chance that he might miss it.I didnt think it was in the spirit of the game to make him have a chance to miss a 2-footer to lose the matches in front of his fans, Nicklaus said.The act of sportsmanship is still cited as one of the games great moments -- not that everyone agreed with it. U.S. captain Sam Snead was said to be furious, and other members of the U.S. team grumbled that they were there to win and not be good sports.But it would be the only time in most of those U.S. players careers where the U.S. Ryder Cup effort was ever remotely in doubt. Jacklin would play in the Ryder Cup five more times, never sniffing a team victory.For a successful competitor such as Jacklin, it was frustrating. And he continued to get the sense that there was no plan, no will to try and change the outcome. And when he was left off the team in 1981 by captain John Jacobs, Jacklin vowed to put the Ryder Cup out of his memory. He was so angry, he wanted no part of the Ryder Cup or the people running it.They just must have thought all they had to do was keep turning up, Jacklin said. Thats the most important thing, Lets turn up. I had been on the receiving end of a few thrashings. Theres no pride for me in just turning up. At that point, I was pretty much done with the Ryder Cup. I was upset with the way I had been treated.The Concorde and cashmereIn May 1983, Jacklin, who was about to turn 38, saw his career winding down. He had putting problems, and he wasnt performing up to his standards. He has often said he never quite got over Lee Trevino chipping in on the 71st hole at Muirfield in 1972, where Jacklin felt he had an excellent chance at a second Claret Jug and a third major title in four years.Tied on the par-5 17th, Trevino appeared on his way to a bogey or worse, having hit his fourth shot over the green. Trevino seemed to have given up, taking little time to assess his fifth shot, all but slapping at the ball -- and it somehow went in for a par. Stunned, Jacklin 3-putted for bogey and never seriously contended in a major again.A year later, he retreated from America, the rigors of travel taking their toll. He and his first wife, Vivien, had three kids, and traveling back and forth became disillusioning.It was while preparing for a European Tour event in the spring of 1983 at Sand Moor Golf Club near Leeds that he was approached on the driving range by Colin Snape, the secretary of the British PGA, and Ken Schofield, the executive director of the European Tour.Knowing full well where Jacklin stood on the matter of the Ryder Cup, they nonetheless after considerable debate asked him to be the captain later that year against the United States in, of all places, Nicklaus backyard; the Golden Bear would captain the U.S. team for the first time in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida -- just a few miles from his home.You could have knocked me down with a feather, Jacklin said.He was still seething about the way he was treated in 1981. Jacklin had been 13th in the European Tours Order of Merit and in need of a pick for the 12-man team. Jacobs instead selected Englishman Mark James (who would captain the 1999 European squad at Brookline) over Jacklin.Jacklin thought it outrageous that James be included over him; James and teammate Ken Brown had acted so poorly during the 1979 Ryder Cup that both were later fined, with Brown suspended a year from the tour.James behaved abominably at the 79 matches, which was the first European match, Jacklin said. He was disruptive. He let the whole side down. Even the Americans knew something was going down and it was a major factor. Doing childish things, being bloody-minded about the whole thing. It tore down any team spirit.Having had my experiences in America and having won my major championships, I realized we werent approaching it in a very professional manner. I knew the American way by then ... the professionalism that America brought to the table when it came to the matches. All that said, the James-Brown thing, the unprofessional way we were approaching it, there was no way we were ever going to win it.Not only was Jacklin left off the team, but so, too, was Spains Seve Ballesteros, Europes emerging star who had won The Open in 1979 and the Masters in 1980. In his first Ryder Cup in 1979, Ballesteros won only one match, but it was clear his talents would be necessary to have any chance going forward.The European Tour and British PGA had banned Ballesteros from the Ryder Cup because of his demands for appearance fees at various tournaments. (The irony is the European Tour has for years looked the other way at a practice that continues today.)I was also angry at the way Seve had been treated because he was a very proud guy, Jacklin said. Arguably the best player in the world. And they banned him from playing because his manager was asking for appearance fees. ... But they never sat Seve down and said, How can we accommodate each other? What can we do? That never happened. They just sat there and were dictating.Also notable was the late date. Ryder Cup captains today are typically named at least 18 months in advance, sometimes longer. It was nearly June and the Ryder Cup was only four months away. Europe didnt have a captain and didnt have its best player.There had been delays in coming to a decision following the heavy defeat at Walton Heath in 1981, Schofield said. Some of the committee had wanted to stick with the practice of a ceremonial type captain as a form of thank you for past service. Whereas the young committee members -- led by Bernhard Langer -- wanted the best possible captain who would still be in touch with the players.So after a number of adjourned meetings, the younger guys won the day, and Tony was the nomination. I approached him knowing he may have to be won over.That is a nice way of saying it. Jacklin was so shocked he couldnt give an answer. He retreated to Bellows home to ponder a decision he never dreamed he would face.It was the furthest thing that I ever should be approached about it, he said. I had fallen out with them. And I decided to go on my own way. Having done that and had a few hours, I thought it might be an opportunity to put things the way I think they ought to be. When it came to the meeting, I basically didnt care whether I did it or not. And if they had said no to any of it, I would have walked. I would have turned around and left.Jacklin demanded three captains picks (he would eventually get this, but due to the late time of his choosing in 1983, the European Tour took 12 players straight off the money list.) He wanted a team room, something never before used at a Ryder Cup. He was adamant that the team have first-class travel to America via the Concorde and top-notch accommodations. And he insisted on the finest clothing -- shoes, golf bags, pants, shirts, rain suits, everything.It had particularly galled Jacklin that in Ryder Cups in which hed played, the team never had proper footwear. I remember him distinctly talking about plastic shoes, his friend Bellow said.I said I want carte blanche to address these things, Jacklin said of the meeting he had with Schofield, Snape and others on a committee charged with pursuing a captain. They kept saying OK. Went through the list. Whatever you want. And I said on that basis, Ill do it.Waiting outside the room to hear the outcome was Lord Derby, a cousin of Queen Elizabeth II and also the president of the British PGA. He was relieved Jacklin had agreed to take the job.I went to him and said, What about Seve? Jacklin said.Now that youve accepted the captaincy, Derby said, Hes your problem.Getting Ballesteros on boardIn 1983, the Ryder Cup was nowhere near the spectacle it has become today. It had little impact beyond the players, especially in the United States. The Americans considered it an honor to make the team, and expected a routine victory. In 1977 for example, despite being eligible, Tom Weiskopf skipped the Ryder Cup to go on an Alaskan bear hunting trip.Even after continental Europe teamed up with Great Britain & Ireland in 1979 -- an idea hatched by Nicklaus to make the Ryder Cup more competitive -- the results didnt change. And over the years, the event struggled to survive financially, typically scrambling to find sponsorship money.Television rights fees, just one of many huge revenue streams today, were virtually nonexistent, with limited exposure in Britain. For the first time in 1983, the Ryder Cup was televised in the U.S. -- for two hours on tape delay by ABC on Sunday. The Ryder Cup was still far from solid financial footing.It was against that backdrop that Jacklin asked for and received the best of everything. I had no bloody idea how they were going to pay for it, he said.Scotlands Bernard Gallacher was among those on the committee who helped push for Jacklin. He played on Jacklins first team in 1983 and then served as a vice captain for three Ryder Cups before succeeding Jacklin for his own run as captain.We needed a special person to go up against the mighty Jack Nicklaus, especially in America, Gallacher said. Because of his exceptional playing record, past Open and U.S. Open champion, Tony was the most respected figure in UK sport, far less golf.The decisive factor was persuading Seve to get behind Tonys strategy, behind the project. Tony developed a close, personal relationship with Seve that endured to the end.Convincing Ballesteros had not been an easy task. For all his greatness, Ballesteros was stubborn. His pride often overshadowed good sense. Not only had he feuded with the European Tour, but then-PGA Tour commissioner Deane Beman as well. Ballesteros felt he should be able to pick and choose his tournaments; Beman stuck to tour regulations, which required him to play a minimum number of events.But the fact he had been kept off the Ryder Cup team wounded Ballesteros. Like Jacklin, he had built up a good bit of distaste for the entire event, and had all but written it off in the future. And that was Jacklins challenge. He immediately sought a meeting, and Jacklin said it occurred the following week at the Prince of Wales Hotel in Southport, England -- in the town where The Open would be played that summer at Royal Birkdale and where the 69 Ryder Cup had been played.He spent the first half hour venting, Jacklin said. Saying this that and the other. I said, Youre preaching to the converted. He was a very proud guy and he was angry. Felt he had been slighted. I said, Were not going to be in the back of the bus anymore. Theyve promised me the best of everything.I told him I cant do it without you. Youre the best player in the world as far as Im concerned. Youre passionate about what you do. Im passionate about the fact that I think we can beat the Americans. I cant possibly do it without you. We can make a concerted effort to meet up on equal terms with the Americans.Once we finished the whole thing, Seve said, OK, I help you. That was the start.Indeed, it was the beginning of a run that few saw coming. In the four Ryder Cups that Jacklin captained for Europe, Ballesteros never lost more than one match in any of them. He played all five matches